“Lassoo“
from the album Neptune
2008
iTunes
Maybe it’s old-fashioned to long for the days before Internet-based music browsing changed the way we find and consume music. Maybe it’s old-fashioned to hold a soft spot in our heart for the days when you shelled out $15 for a CD, then listened to it 20 times before making your final judgment on it — after all, you dropped a good chunk of change on it, so it deserves a chance, right? Maybe it’s a little dated to wish for the days when bands concentrated on making a good end-to-end album instead of just a sizzling song to auto-load on a MySpace page?
The Duke Spirit’s probably one of those old-fashioned bands, or at least it should be. Neptune is the sort of record that isn’t built for the information age. Its blend of hard-working guitars, twilight ambiences and soaring female vocals won’t shuffle easily into any of today’s buzzed-up styles. Although it’s chock full of great tunes, there isn’t a single hot-download track or a cut with iPod-commercial potential in the lot. The outfit plays bluesy pop, but it delivers songs that are solid middle-distance runners rather than sprinting to your ears. Neptune‘s the sort of album that’s great news for die-hard music fans but bad news for today’s short-attention-span music world.
The band doesn’t seem to worry too much about how the interactive generation will take to its slowly unfolding sound on Neptune. Built on solid rock foundations, Neptune‘s the sort of record that’ll find fans among types already caught up with everyone from the Flesh and Scanners to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the Noisettes, Neptune takes the band’s self-assured, blues-indie hybrid further into the depths of sleazy rock-pop. Singer/keyboardist Leila Moss’ vocals carry the songs, as her powerful soul-shouter front adds a dose of pure sex to the mix, helping give the Spirit an extra kick. “The Step and the Walk” cruises along on basic blues-rock riffs, as Moss’ charismatic add depth to the track. Heavy guitar distortion and simmering riffs make “You Really Wake Up” and “Sunken Treasure” sound as if Dirty-era Sonic Youth went into a roadhouse and laid down some blues jams. “Send a Little Love Token” and “Wooden Heart” step slightly away from the heavy blues influence, with a scorching indie-rock number and a spacious ballad, both of which could succeed on the force of Moss’ vocals alone if they needed to — but the band’s strong enough not to use its front woman as a crutch. “Dog Roses” shows more than a hint of nocturnal mystery, while “Lassoo” is a four-on-the-floor rocker that could fit perfectly on a dive-bar stage without losing any of its cultured sophistication.
The Duke Spirit’s a band of the old guard. Rather than gimmicks, it relies on songwriting — and a lot of it. Neptune‘s a reminder that even in the age of the cherry-picked, a la carte digital music marketplace, a good album’s still more captivating than a great single.